Between the Light and the Darkness - Chapter 6

>> Wednesday, February 20, 2008

He was in an empty village. He wasn't sure why he was there, or how he got there, but he was there nevertheless. The small primitive homes lined a narrow dirt road, which was deserted. The houses were all dark and quiet. He wondered what time it was. It was night, so he guessed the townspeople were sleeping. That must be why it was so quiet, but that just didn't seem right. A sense of foreboding came over him as he started walking.


He walked down the empty street, cold darkness spreading through him with every step. Something in his mind warned him to stop, but he felt strangely pulled. He tried to fight the feeling, but was unable to do that, either.

And then he saw it, a small hill in the distance, just outside the village. He walked towards it. An acrid odor hung in the air, burning his nostrils. As he approached, the stench worsened.


The hill was a compiliation of death. Skeletons were interspersed throughout, becoming one with the dirt. Though they had no remaining skin, the air smelled of rotting flesh and stale blood. It was almost overpowreing.


Tim reeled from sight of the death mound. He could almost hear the screams for help, the cries for mercy. He felt an intoxicating mixture of emotions; rage, despair, anger, fear. Who or what was capable of doing such a loathesome thing? He broke out into a cold sweat and his head started to spin.

He lost his balance and fell on one of the bodies. It made a sickening squish/crunch beneath him.



He heaved uncontrollably, his stomach in knots. As he was wiping his mouth on his sleeve, a mocking laughter started somewhere in the distance. He looked towards the sound, but saw nothing. The sound grew louder, suddenly seeming to come from everywhere at once; a hideous cackle that caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end.


Suddenly, atop the hill, there stood a woman dressed all in black with long, flowing silvery hair.

"Ileeya," he whispered.

"Fool!" she hissed in a demonic voice.


The bodies spontaneously combusted. The sudden force of air knocked Tim backward. The fire was close enough to singe him and he smelled the sweet odor of his own burning skin and hair. He tried to crab walk away from the blaze, but no matter how fast or hard he tried, he couldn't get any further from away from it.


He heard the laughter again, deafening this time. A horrible demon with bedraggled white hair and silver-white eyes swooped down at him from above. It was inches from his face, breathing hot, rancid air at him.

The demon picked him up and threw him, bodily, into the flames. He felt himself roasting, his skin blistering and charring, his hair melting. He screamed in sheer agony as he tried to roll out of the fire, leaving a trail of burnt skin and clothing.



He awoke as he rolled into the stone wall of the cell. He sat up with a start, then lied back down, pressing his sweat drenched body against the cool stone wall. All he could do, for what seemed like an eternity, was lie there, shaking.


When he finally started to regain his senses, he got up and splashed a little water on his face. He downed a cup of water as well, to moisten his dry mouth and throat. He was just making his way back to bed when Ileeya started stirring in her sleep.


She was mumbling incoherently and thrashing about, apparently having a bad dream of her own. Her voice rose and now she was speaking in a desperate high pitched voice. Naturally, he couldn't understand her native tongue, but one name kept popping up frequently: Shirra. He wondered who Shirra was. Just when he began to worry that Ileeya was getting out of control, she started to quiet down and become still. Her breathing evened out and she slept normally.


Tim spent the rest of the night curled in a tight ball, trying to warm himself up and fall asleep. He missed his comfy waterbed back home, with the gentle waves of the mattress rocking him to sleep. This mattress was hard and unyielding. He tossed and turned the remainder of the night.


15 comments:

Anonymous February 20, 2008 at 9:20 AM  

OOOOOH! WOW! I LOVED THE DREAM sorry NIGHTMARE! Awesome special effects! The way you described it was fabulous, I could feel the eeriness and smelll the stench! Wonderful decor with the skeletons! :D You sure are adding a lot of mystery to this story, and I LOVE IT! :wub: :rah: :wub:

S@n February 20, 2008 at 6:58 PM  

WOW!!! I love the nightmare too!
I have a bad feeling that the Ileeya was having the same nightmare! and probably the with the same girl!!

Great job!

chardonnay February 20, 2008 at 7:52 PM  

What a wonderful job you did with illustrating the nightmare!!! I am almost afraid it will influence my own dreaming....LOL!!!

Another great chapter!!! I love the cc you chose for this....

and as any good story does it raises so many more questions..but I won't dwell on them..I might accidently figure things out...LOL!!!

Astral Faery February 21, 2008 at 9:14 AM  

Thank you so much ladies! Your generous comments really brighten up my day. What a great surprise to find on such a dreary morning. And I just love it when you come up with your own theories - it's fun to see if you're right.

Yes, lots of questions - and many more to come.

KDSGS February 21, 2008 at 11:00 AM  

Astounding! The nightmare sequence was brilliantly and descriptively plotted and executed! Well done!!
Also, don't worry about the short updates, that's all I can do as well!
I think I got it up to around 40 pics, but that is all my nerves can handle!
truly, well done!!
~~Karen!!

Sam Cains February 21, 2008 at 12:04 PM  

The description was lovely! - and horrible at the same time considering what it actually was... obviously.

The dream sequence was, as everyone else has already said, amazing.

But there's something about Ileeya, does she have inner demons to fight? A history perhaps? And now has good and bad inside her - she is getting fishy.
I don't know where you are going with her, but I can't wait to find out.

The upcoming tournament! I just wish he had gotten more sleep...

I don't mind short updates, mine don't have too many pictures but contain a lot of writing.

I look forward to the next part - I'm excited!

Sam

scarlet_white February 21, 2008 at 9:17 PM  

Yeah you gave very realistic effects, you made me jelaous in a good way, and the whole night mare was very creative and, forgive the pun, nightmareish. He seems to be having a lot of bad dreams, this must be his second, and she is having one of those as well. Maybe the situation they are in inspires nightmares. Good job, hope to see more of the tournament soon

Astral Faery February 21, 2008 at 9:38 PM  

Thanks, Karen! I'm glad you like it so far.

Astral Faery February 21, 2008 at 9:39 PM  

I love hearing your theories, Sam. It kind of helps me see how others perceive what's going on. Sometimes readers can hit on something that I never thought of. Glad you're reading.

Astral Faery February 21, 2008 at 9:41 PM  

Aw, thanks, Pablo. I hate to disappoint you, though, but the tournament doesn't happen for awhile. There's a lot of ground to cover, first. But I'll try to keep your interest.

Lorianne February 22, 2008 at 2:08 AM  

Wow! You surprise every time! What an excellent update. And I really love the nightmare shots, they really must have taken a lot of time to set up!

Waiting anxiously for the next installment!

Leah February 22, 2008 at 6:05 AM  

Such a wonderful nightmare to read about!

And like almost everyone else, I have my thoughts about Ileeya, but I won't share them. I'll just wait and see if I'm right.

The tournament... I don't mind waiting. I'm sure you'll be able to keep us entertained till that happens.

Great job.

BTW: I love that new picture you've got up. Super!

thewynd February 22, 2008 at 10:15 AM  

Your shots for this were once again absolutely amazing. And the plot thickens! I still think Ileeya has a twin somewhere who is evil and yet is someone she loves. Or maybe the evil twin is inside her and the whole tournament might prove something Tim needs to win in order to save her from that evil.

Who knows? Oh yeah...you do! Great job again. Can't wait for the next part.

S.B. May 29, 2008 at 6:06 AM  

Stunning shots and very descriptive writing!

Not sure I'd bed down in the same room with Ileeya and regret my waterbed LOL!! So funny! He ought to be scared to death of whatever she is, both good and bad or something very strange.

Astral Faery June 16, 2008 at 1:07 PM  

My sincerest apologies, ladies. I didn't realize I had so many comments I had not responded to.

Lorianne - thanks! Yes, quite a bit of setup involved in this one, and hubby's photshopping help, too. And then I noticed the road in one of the shots, argh! Perhaps someday I'll redo it...maybe. Eh, probably not, lol.

Leah - well by now you've already read about the tournament, and I've hopefully kept you entertained! Thanks for the compliments.

Thanks for reading, Gayl! Only time will tell, 'cuz I'm not, lol! Keep reading, though, and you'll hopefully get all the answers you're looking for.

Thanks, Beth! Ileeya is quite the puzzle, alright. But we'll take her apart piece by piece and see what she's made of. ;)

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